


The Itch

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Coulson is crazy about Skye, Eating, Encouragement, Fairly canon friendly, Flirting, Friendship, Gen, Skye helping Coulson feel better, Skye thinks Coulson is cool, Written by a Skoulson shipper you are warned, drive in theater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 15:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4672064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson is adjusting to losing his hand and Skye tries to cheer him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Itch

“So Mack doesn’t think that we should shoot first and ask questions later.”

She watches him behind the desk, and he’s not really here all the way.

“Total Bonus.”

He twitches a little and she has to push down a feeling that she had before.

When he was hiding the carving stuff.

“Are you okay?” she asks tentatively.

Coulson's struggling with his hand.

His arm, really.  In its sling.

“I have an itch,” he says a moment later, giving up with a frustrated sigh.

She could sense it, alright, because his vibrations are _so_ \- and goes around the desk to help him.

“It’s fine,” he says, sitting back in his chair, finally looking up at her.

Always acting like everything is manageable.

“Can you let me help you?” she asks, pushing just a little.

His face lets her know he’s struggling with the idea, then he tells her abruptly to shut the door.

She does as he asks and then as it clicks shut she turns to see him working his way out of the sling quickly and scratching at himself just below the elbow.

He’s tossed his head back and his mouth is open in relief.

“Do you have any idea how much this-“

“Sucks?” she finishes, pursing her lips as his eyes meet hers.

There’s a nod, more for himself than her, she guesses, and he relaxes for a moment.

“Itches.  And yes.  _Sucks_.”

Really relaxes.

“A lot of stuff to work through, right?” she suggests.

Hoping he’s not going to close the door now that it’s been opened.

“Losing a hand was bad timing.”

She gives him a sideways smile.  He’s being too flippant about it.

“No one is expecting you to-“

“Step down? Not on your life,” he says, sounding challenging. But more like he’s trying to convince himself. “You read the reports.  I’ve shown you what, this-“

He gestures down at his desk with his free hand. The load of papers scattered across it.

“Yeah, I know,” she says, walking back towards his desk.

“Maybe we can help each other?”

“You and I-“  he starts, seeming confident about what he wants to say.

Then he drops it.

“You and I,” she picks back up, as she starts to sort through the papers on his desk. “Need a break.”

He looks up at her like he has no idea what that means.

“From this.”

She taps her finger on the surface of his desk.

“May’s not back from vacation.”

Like that’s supposed to end the conversation.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Oh.”

 

#

 

She looks over at him.

Coulson seems happy to eat his burger, even one-handed.

In fact, he looks happier than she’s seen him in a long time.

His eyes keep looking at the screen, he’s watching the movie with full attention.

And it’s a nice night. 

In Lola.  At a drive-in theater in Virginia.

 _Back to the Future_.  Whatever.  She’s seen it before.  But Coulson is an 80s kid.

She just wants him to relax.

Taking the lid off her shake, she dips one of the fries in it.

“Gross,” he remarks, suddenly looking over at her.

“What?” she asks with a laugh.

Very deliberately she lifts the dipped fry to her mouth and sucks it down.

“So good,” she replies as she finishes it, smacking her lips, licking the salt from her fingers.

“What’s so good about it?” he asks, curiosity turned on her now, with the kind of strange intensity that only Coulson can produce out of nowhere.

“I don’t know. It just _is_ ,” she answers.  She’s not going to explain it to him. “You should try it.”

He looks at the food in his lap dubiously. 

It had taken _a lot_ for her to convince him to let them eat in Lola and they both have an array of napkins spread on their laps.

“Chicken?”

His eyebrows come together at her suggestion and he takes the lid off his shake with one hand, making it a bit of work to balance it between his legs so to not spill it on his pants.

“You’re the one who likes junk food,” he mutters.

“What a liar,” she laughs, taking the lid from him and putting it safely top-down on Lola’s console.

Coulson with his Twizzlers and Little Debbie junk food.  She shaking her head at him as he picks up a fry.

“I knew about it, just never tried it,” he says snobbish, dipping the fry down with a doubtful look and then eating it.

“So I’m showing you something you’ve never seen before,” she answers like she's got something on him for once.

He chews, looking back at her, trying to not let her feel too satisfied. “You’ve shown me a lot of things I’ve never seen before.”

She thinks about that, watching his jaw work.  He looks a little wide-eyed, like he’s thinking about it, too.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah,” he says, with a small smile.  “It’s alright.”

“You love it,” she answers, leaning towards him.  “Admit it.”

“I like it.”

 

#

 

“Sometimes I wonder if things weren't so complicated-“  
  
“Would you still be around?” he finishes her sentence and turns towards her as Lola’s engine goes to sleep.  
  
“No!” she answers, taking the keys out of the ignition. “ _No._ I believe in what we're doing. That  _together_ is _better_. Don't you?”

He hesitates for a moment.

"It's not like I want to do this by myself.  Sheesh."  
  
“Yes,” he nods, seeming reflective again. “We're good. Uh… _together_.”

 It’s like he struggles to get the word out, then glances over at her to see her reaction.

She smiles a bit knowingly but she isn’t here to make him uncomfortable.  
  
“What about you?”

She tips her chin at him, and settles against the seat, her hand on the wheel.

“If it was less complicated?”

His face makes it obvious that he’s overthinking everything and trying to unwind something complicated and particular at the same time.

“I wouldn't have to put my pants on one leg at a time?” he says, as his face relaxes.

Oh, Coulson.

“Go back to wearing socks regularly,” he shrugs. “I miss socks.”

 She rolls her eyes at him, making sure he sees it, and then he starts talking.

“I might think about something besides HYDRA and survival?” he admits, leaving it there. “You could join the Avengers.”  
  
“Hey,” she says, looking at him from her headrest. “This is not about me.”  
  
“I could be your handler,” he suggests brightly.  
  
“What does that involve?” she asks.  
  
“I look out for your interests. Plus, ten percent,” he offers. “And visits to HQ.  As many as I like.”  
  
“You just want to see Rogers,” she teases.  
  
“To stay in touch with you,” he adds, sounding both offended and earnest.

“I'm not going anywhere,” she sighs, sitting up in the seat.

“You are, though,” he says quietly. “I knew that from the moment I met you.”

“Well,” she says, flattered, feeling herself flush a little, she pulls herself up out of the seat. 

“I’d still need  _you_ .”

“Why's that?” he asks her, watching her hand close the door.

She stares back down at him for a moment, looking over his expression.

Then she leans down across the door, and grins at him.

“Because you're… _cool_ .”

 His eyes light up. Instantly.

 And that face.  She’ll never get tired of it.

 He makes his way out of Lola and comes to stand beside her, as she waits patiently, then hands the keys over to him.

 They walk to the hangar door and swipe their lanyards, the base sounding quiet as it looks at this hour.

 “Even with one hand?” he asks, as they walk down the hall together.

 “Yeah.”

She hooks her arm through his.


End file.
